


fool's act

by breadofthewild



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24802951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadofthewild/pseuds/breadofthewild
Summary: “I’m honored to have caught the attention of such a charming lady like yourself,” Yuri added, dangling his bait methodically. All he needed was for Constance to take it. “Don’t worry about me, though. I’m fine and unharmed.”The lie was so perfectly presented and structured that Constance almost believed him. Almost.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & Constance von Nuvelle, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Constance von Nuvelle
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	fool's act

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again w the self-indulgent fe3h fics ! lmao. lov my yuricoco babeys

Yuri Leclerc usually knew what consequences he’d have to deal with if he were at fault for something.

Which, considering who he was, didn’t happen too often.

This time around, when the battle’s been won and their army has safely retreated back to their base, it was normal to hear the shuffling of comrades in the night. Many scurried around in attempts to check up on their teammates, aid the hurt, or prepare for the next fight. Yuri was sure there were also some rations being handed out, but the trickster wasn’t particularly hungry at the moment.

Instead, the purple-haired swordsman sat alone in his tent, a bloodied wound seeping through the bandage wrapped around his abdomen.

Yuri cursed. The gash was an inconvenience at worst, making him much slower in combat, but the wound still hurt when irritated too much. Upon reaching their base, Yuri had attempted to skip the treatment he would’ve gotten had he gone to one of their professional healers instead. The line of wounded fighters was long, Yuri noticed, and he didn’t need to make it longer.

So here he sat, bleeding and in pain, reflecting on the event of how he had gotten the wound in the first place and why it never seemed to be worth it.

The familiar sound of a person’s footsteps shifted Yuri’s attention from the pain in his abdomen to the outside of his tent. He quirked a curious eyebrow.

“Yuri? You are in there, yes?” the person outside asked. Yuri would recognize that distinct voice anywhere.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” joked Yuri in response, “Constance.”

Before the mage could say anything more, Yuri opened the flap of the tent and greeted Constance with a grin.

“What brings you here, Shady Lady?”

Constance quickly scowled at the nickname, narrowing her gaze. “You address me with such a nickname knowing full well how sensitive I am to it? Must I keep asking for a bit of respect?”

The response only earned a small chuckle from Yuri. He waved it off dismissively, almost in apology, stepping fully out of his quarters now to face Constance.

The latter huffed, but quickly focused her attention back to the reason she had come in the first place. Her eyes trailed to Yuri’s abdomen, which had been covered with multiple layers. She brought her eyes back up to Yuri’s.

“I lost sight of you in the previous battle and wanted to check if you were alright. That is all,” Constance evenly explained, with no intention of specifying anything further.

The wound under Yuri’s clothes was perfectly obscured with the intent of hiding its existence. So long as he worried nobody, Yuri had no problem with playing pretend.

It was what he was used to.

“Did you now? Well I’m standing here alright now, aren’t I?” Yuri outstretched his arms as if he were a display and twirled. His wound ached. “Good as ever.”

“So it seems,” Constance commented, though still dubious.

“I’m honored to have caught the attention of such a charming lady like yourself,” Yuri added, dangling his bait methodically. All he needed was for Constance to take it. “Don’t worry about me, though. I’m fine and unharmed.”

The lie was so perfectly presented and structured that Constance almost believed him. Almost.

“Fine and unharmed, you say? Do I have no choice but to believe you?”

Yuri’s grin disappeared and was replaced with an innocent look of confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

Constance’s eyes narrowed once again, a hand on her hip. “While I appreciate your compliments, that’s no way to redirect the situation at hand here. Don’t lie to me so, Yuri, I’m not a fool. You were hurt out there fighting.”

Yuri’s bait dissolved. He bit the inside of his cheek.

“Why would I lie to you?” was all Yuri could come up with.

Constance never faltered. “I would ask the same question myself. Come. Let me heal you.” She attempted to step closer to Yuri, only for him to step back.

“No need, Constance. Didn’t I tell you I was alright?”

Constance drew her breath, inhaling sharply. “Do you doubt my abilities? I’ll have you know that I have been studying the intricacies of white magic and am capable of alleviating your pain—”

Caught with lying, and yet Constance didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she was more irritated by the possibility that Yuri was undermining her abilities.

“For the goddess’ sake, no, I don’t doubt your magical prowess,” Yuri groaned tiredly. “Who are you, my mother? I said I was fine.”

The more he grew annoyed, the more the wound hurt.

Constance balled her fists by her side, standing straighter. Perhaps one glance at Yuri showed the rest of the world that he was indeed fine. But this was Constance, Constance von Nuvelle, a mage with sharp wits and even sharper eyes. Rarely anything got past her, and in retrospect, Yuri wasn’t even sure why he tried.

“You are not,” Constance curtly replied. “And I will not leave until otherwise.”

They were both so stubborn. Yuri sighed, but that didn’t mean he was going to accept defeat so easily.

“Come on,” Yuri instructed, swiftly grabbing Constance’s hand in his. New course of action. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Constance tripped as Yuri walked along. He held her tightly and she balanced herself back to normal. “Huh? We don’t have time for this, I—ugh, hold on, would you?”

Yuri said nothing as the pair trodded through the woods to an open, secluded area away from their base and near the cliffs. Away from so much hustle of everyone else, the silence was welcoming.

Yuri stopped in his tracks. Constance stopped beside him, their fingers still entwined. As she breathed to catch her breath, Yuri pointed to the stars.

“See that star? That’s the King’s Right Hand. Hapi taught me.”

Constance gazed up at the sky. “Yes. Hapi taught me, too.” Her gaze trailed back down to the horizon, pensive. “Although I haven’t seen such a starry sky in a very long while.”

Yuri kept a steady eye on her. “Let me guess. Not since your house fell?”

“Correct. I would stargaze some nights with my siblings, but that was the extent of it.”

Constance didn’t say anything more. Yuri squeezed her hand in comfort. She let him.

“No use dwelling on the past, huh? Where’s my loud and proud girl now?”

The comment snapped Constance back to reality. Indeed, there was no use dwelling on the past like this. The past was gone. All there was left was to move forward.

“You act as if I’m incapable of reminiscing,” Constance accused, turning to face Yuri. “And what was the point of bringing me out here anyhow?”

“Right,” Yuri drawled, finding an excuse other than that he wanted Constance to forget that she was worried about him. “Well, since you came to me all worried, I just proved that I’m fine by trekking all the way here, right? Now, are you satisfied?”

Constance pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest. “You are a mere fool,” she started. “A disgustingly stubborn fool.”

Yuri brought a hand over his chest, bowing. His wound stung more than it has in the entirety of the night. “Then I’m glad I could be your jester, milady.”

“And you have still got time to joke? Perhaps it was my mistake for worrying about you all these years.”

Yuri stood once again, tilting his head. “All these years?”

“I—” Constance fumbled, realizing now what she had blurted before deciding to own up to it. “Yes, all these years. We have known each other for that long, haven’t we?”

Yuri glanced at the stars. “I guess we have.”

The two are silent as a breeze howled around them. Before either of them could say anything, Constance reached into her pockets and tossed a small vial towards Yuri. He caught it with ease.

“A vulnerary? I have plenty of my own, Constance.”

“I am aware. That particular vulnerary I’ve cast a spell on to enhance and prolong its effects. See to it that you use it for the wound you’ve been lying to me about, yes?”

Yuri grimaced at how harshly she had worded it, true as it may be. He nodded towards her.

“I’m grateful,” was all Yuri mustered, and it was not only for the vulnerary she had provided but her patience throughout all these years with him, too.

In the dark, Constance traced the outline of Yuri’s silhouette with her eyes. His coat had started to stain, albeit darkly, so it wasn’t a surprise he didn’t notice. A small frown crept to Constance’s lips as she noticed the signs before Yuri could attempt to hide them away again.

“You should be,” responded Constance. “I’ll have you know that I won’t baby you next time.”

“You know,” Yuri started, his eyes downcast towards the dirt. His playful tone almost returned, but this was Constance he was talking to. He figured she didn't deserve his ingenuity again.

So he spoke honestly.

“I wouldn’t mind being babied by you, I think.”

A tinge of pink flushed Constance’s cheeks, and she quickly snapped open the fan she brought everywhere to hide behind it.

“You idiot!” she stammered, and Yuri laughed heartily at the gesture.

Yuri only shrugged. “I’m just being honest, milady.”

“I’m returning to my quarters at once. You—you best not tell anyone of this exchange or our excursion. And don’t you dare speak of—of—” Her eyes trailed down to Yuri’s hands, then to her own. 

Yuri chuckled at the sight of Constance so flustered. “Holding hands embarrasses you that much?”

“Ugh, not another word!” Constance hissed. “Goodnight!”

Constance retreated back to the base. Yuri was left alone by the cliffside, and he gazed at the stars one last time, then at the vial he held comfortably in his hands.

He supposed he'd better get to using it.


End file.
